"And Always, Sweet Dreams."

The Price of Freedom

Midoriya's POV

The sun was just finally starting to rise when Recovery Girl told Kacchan and I that Shouto should be waking up soon. It was a relief, and the invisible weight on my shoulders and heart had quickly lifted, before being replaced by the biting nervousness that came with the wait for him to wake up. When I glanced at Kacchan, he was calm and cool as always, but the discreet way he was wringing his hands together told a completely different story.

Shouto had just finished his MRI scan, and after a few other tests and check-ups, Recovery Girl claimed that there was no lasting damage to his brain, which was a huge release of breath for everyone in the infirmary room. Honestly, it's hard to think that just a week ago today, Shouto and I were being driven to UA to be questioned. That day seemed so far away now, and it's amazing to think how much stuff has happened in the past seven days. Shouto was missing for at most a good five of them, and I've been stuck at Kacchan's house in anxiousness wondering whether or not Shouto was okay. Kacchan was supportive, just like he has been in the past year after we'd worked everything out, and honestly, I was so, so glad to have had him by my side.

Turning back to Shouto, I was getting used to seeing him pale and so small in the infirmary bed. He had apparently gained some strength through the night after Recovery Girl administered him with an IV drip, and she was able to completely heal his injured arm. She had told Kacchan and I that while the bone was reset and the damage healed, Shouto was still going to have a few small scars from where she had to pull out the staples that used to be holding his skin in place. When I had caught a glimpse of them and all the dry blood and yellow puss, I nearly gagged, and hoped that Shouto wasn't awake when those were shoved into his arm. If he was, then it must have been unbearable.

It was just as the sun finished its dramatic show of rising that Shouto finally showed signs of waking up. The golden light reflecting off the buildings in the area cast the room in a rich golden hue, and Shouto didn't look as pale in the warm light when his eyebrows moved into their usual frown. His face scrunched up slightly, and with the soft and cute pout on his lips, he almost looked like an awakening child.

I had moved closer to him, holding my overpowering emotions at bay, and smiled softly as his eyes slowly fluttered open, and closed again. He groaned quietly, although it sounded like a siren in the silent room, and I gave his hand a gentle and patient squeeze, knowing that he was just taking time to assess himself and the area around him. It was another minute before he tried to open his eyes again, and this time he managed to keep them open long enough for him to cast a quick glance of the room. When he caught sight of Kacchan and I, a soft and drunken smirk slid onto his lips, and I nearly snorted when I remembered how high on pain medication he was. After that small glance, his eyelids closed again, although this time he let out a gentle and airy sigh.

"Izuku."

I smiled and squeezed his hand again. I spoke quietly – just above a whisper. "It's okay, Shouto. You don't have to speak yet. Recovery Girl has you heavily medicated right now, so just take a few minutes to gather your bearings."

"Yeah, Icy-Hot. We don't need you shooting out of bed and throwing yourself at Izuku like you usually do." Kacchan spoke up, a mischievous smirk on his face.

I turned to him, cheeks ablaze with red from embarrassment. "Kacchan –!"

There was a soft chuckle from the bed, and Shouto slid one of his eyes – his silver one – open, the lazy smile still plastered in his lips. "Katsuki," after saying his name, a heavy and sombre feeling filtered the air, before Shouto let out another exhale. "Still a hot-head as usual, I see."

Kacchan's friendliness towards his adopted brother snapped instantly, and he let out an evil chuckle, hands already threatening to spark. "Why you –."

My eyes widened instantly, and villainous shadows danced across Kacchan's face as his quirk lit up. "Ah! Kacchan! This is – this is the infirmary! Stop that!"

Back on the bed, I heard Shouto mock back to Kacchan childishly, and I really wished that he wasn't so looped up on drugs. "Yeah, Kacchan. Put your little boom-boom hands away."

I let out a loud whine. Did Shouto want to get killed?

Kacchan's quirk came fully to life, and he stepped forward, reaching out to Shouto. "I don't care if your high or not. I can and will still beat you up."

Shouto pouted, slipping his eye shut, and I really wished he would stop provoking Kacchan. "Ah, still not over what happened at the sports festival, are you?"

Kacchan's eyes flared red, and I shoved him back to stop him from pouncing on Shouto. "Kacchan, Shouto, you both need to stop! We have better things to be doing!"

At that, Shouto let out a sigh, and both his eyes opened, his gaze flirtatious and lazy. "Speaking of better things to do, Izuku, why don't we –?"

I quickly slammed my free hand over his mouth, stopping whatever inappropriate and sexual remark he was about to make, and was horrified when he licked my hand like a cat and let out a childish giggle like a little demon baby. "Shouto –!"

"Good to see that everyone is loud and awake as usual."

During the chaos in the infirmary room, neither of us were aware enough to have heard the door open, and the embarrassment was key when all our panicked gazes landed on Aizawa, who looked amused and tired at the same time.

I swallowed. "A-Aizawa Sensei –!"

Before I could continue and apologise for our behaviour, he raised a hand and had the usual smirk on his lips. "It's okay, Problem Child. We have important things to discuss." His eyes shifted over to Shouto, and I didn't miss the way he quickly tensed and sobered up.

My gaze flickered between the two, and I suddenly realised that there was a lot that I was yet to understand.

The younger teen swallowed nervously and shifted under the sheets. When his eyes connected with Aizawa's again after them flickering away, they seemed desperate. "Aizawa Sensei, is Touya–?"

"He's okay," Aizawa interrupted, sighing. "He's the reason I'm actually here. We have a few things to talk about, and I figured it was best to tell you three as soon as possible while you're all together."

We all watched him intently, and Shouto sat up slightly.

Aizawa continued. "As far as anyone else knows, Dabi was an inside spy for Hawks who was gathering information on the League under the impression of being a villain." He said, and I didn't miss the way Shouto had let out a sigh. "And now, with his help and the top heroes cooperation, we're going to take down The League of Villains."

Triple update? Wow.

(This isn't just me trying to get the story over and done with.)

(Unless-)

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